Chaenactis species grow in arid to alpine or Mediterranean climates, usually in open, unstable or early seral habitats (loose sand, scree, talus, shrink-swell clay, fire-adapted vegetation, recent disturbances). Some annual species have been grown in gardens in the eastern United States.

Differences in induments are key to distinguishing some Chaenactis species. Unless otherwise noted in descriptions and key leads, assume for any given plant that indument of proximal leaves and adjacent proximal portions of stems ("proximal indument") is similar; indument of distal leaves is, likewise, similar to indument of stem portions from which they arise; peduncle indument is denser distally than proximally; and distal peduncle indument is similar to proximal phyllary indument. Unless otherwise noted, phyllary traits apply to the outer series only. Pappus scales may be equal, subequal, or unequal; unequal scales may intergrade (here said to be in gradually unequal series) or may form two, more or less uniform, shorter and longer series (here said to be in abruptly unequal series); subequal scales are said to be in subequal series. Excellent illustrations of most Chaenactis species appeared in L. Abrams and R. S. Ferris (1923–1960, vol. 4) and A. Cronquist (1955).

Section Acarphaea is distinctive by its farinose indument and base chromosome number of 8, among other traits; it could prove to be a separate, convergent genus. Natural and artificial hybrids have been documented among some members of sect. Chaenactis (see further dis-cussion there). Reports of hybrids among species of the other two sections are few and doubtful. Chaenactis appears to be most closely related to the monotypic Dimeresia and Orochaenactis, which B. G. Baldwin et al. (2002) treated together as a narrowly circumscribed tribe, Chaenactideae.